Editorial: Bravo to effort to help out victims’ families

Talk about it

The Jamestown Sun hands out these bravos and a buffalo chip this week:

* Bravo to Randy Kremer of Moorhead, Minn., who started a fund to return the remains of six Springfield, Mo., area men who died in a crash on Interstate 94 at Jamestown on Dec. 26. The account is at Wells Fargo and is named The Jamestown Accident Victims Donation Fund.

*Bravo to the Jamestown High School marching band for recently representing its community during a performance at Magic Kingdom at Disney World. The band marched and played at the theme park and fundraised throughout the year to help pay for the costs of the trip.

*Bravo to the North Dakota State University Bison for winning their second straight FCS championship on Jan. 5 in Frisco, Texas. The Bison defeated Sam Houston State University 39-13.

*Bravo to Konnie and Sharon Norstog of Watford City, N.D., for giving away their new income from the minerals they own to charities. The two said they haven’t made any significant changes to their lifestyle since receiving royalties related to the oil boom and think it’s important to “do something kind with it or at least do the right thing,” according to Sharon.

*Bravo to JoAnne Olson of Jamestown, who launched a seat belt awareness campaign, “Buckling Up for Becca.” Olson’s daughter, Becca, wasn’t wearing a seat belt when she died as the result of a pickup accident in Mandan, N.D., in 2011.

*Buffalo chip that work-related fatalities sharply increased in North Dakota during 2011. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 44 workers died on the job in North Dakota last year, up from 30 in 2010. The BLS said it was the largest over-the-year increase for the state since it began tracking the data in 1992. Most of the fatalities — 52 percent — were in transportation incidents, the BLS said.

*Buffalo chip that an expensive computer system at Workforce Safety and Insurance is still creating problems for the agency. A Forum News Service story reported that WSI has spent more than $15.5 million on an information technology system provided by Aon eSolutions. The agency has since ended its contract with the company. Unpaid medical bills increased by late May and later decreased; WSI officials said it kept using its old claims system because of problems.

(Editorials are the opinion of Jamestown Sun management and the newspaper’s editorial board)

Tags: editorials, opinion